6 HABITS TO CREATE A BETTER ROUTINE

Posted on 1 August 2018 by Amy King, Founder, CORE+

Do you ever look around at your friends or family and feel like everyone has it together, except you? Your sister manages to hit yoga five times a week but you struggle to make it out of bed for work. Your best friend always orders a salad as you order the burger and fries (with a side of regret). And your colleagues keep a highly-organised diary of to-do lists, scheduled workouts and after-work activities, while you are constantly forgetting meetings, deadlines and your mum’s birthday.

If this sounds like you, it’s no secret you’re in desperate need of structure. Don’t worry, we got you! We’ve rounded up six key habits that will help you create a better routine, improving everything from your nutrition and exercise to your happiness and mindset to your performance at work and at home.

Lock in weekly workouts with a friend

As humans, we have a tendency to self-sabotage our progress. For example, do you often leave it up to the very last minute to decide whether you’re going to make it to that Pilates class, only to realise you haven’t left enough time to get there, or find out the class is full? From now on, lock yourself into as many classes as possible, as you’re much less likely to cancel them once they’re scheduled. Make sure some of these classes are with a friend, so you’re even more accountable to show up.

Invest in a ‘smart’ water bottle

Coffee, tea, chai lattes, turmeric lattes, more coffee… These days, we’re surrounded by so many options for drinks (usually caffeinated) to get us through the day, that we forgot about our old favourite, water – and the fact we should be drinking 3L of it every day! If this is one of your biggest daily struggles, it’s time to invest in a smart water bottle for your desk. These genius inventions track your water intake, glow to remind you to have a drink and sync to your health apps, too.

Always schedule exercise on a Monday morning

According to us, the best way to start the week off on the right foot is to get out of bed and exercise. By skipping Monday morning workouts, it’s easy to slip off the bandwagon and claim you’ll “start next week instead”. Although it’s tough after a weekend of sleeping in, Uber Eats and one too many drinks, a Monday morning workout is guaranteed to make you feel a million times better. Try a CORE+ Hot Pilates or Hot Fusion Yoga to stretch out the body and sweat out the toxins.

Give yourself a treat quota each week

Is your vice bringing you down? Sure, it might only be a cheeky pastry with your cappuccino, a couple glasses of wine with dinner, or a few pieces of chocolate while watching Netflix, but these are perfect examples of habits that can screw up your health and fitness goals. Rather than restricting yourself completely (because we know what happens when we do that) give yourself a quota each week. For example, if you’re going to have three glasses of wine a week and you have one of those after a rough day at work, you’ve only got two left for the weekend. Choose wisely.

Plan out your week on a Sunday

You know what they say, “a Sunday well spent brings a week of content”. It sounds cheesy, but it’s true! On Sundays, sit down with your diary and plot out your social plans, things you can’t forget, and all of your meals for the week. Then, use this to make a grocery list before heading to the supermarket. If you’re super on top of it, we suggest prepping some of your meals too! This will not only save you time and effort in the long run, but you’ll also avoid the stress over what to take for lunch or make for dinner. Needless to say, it will also help you stay away from unnecessary treats!

Commit to 10 minutes of meditation every morning

Okay, we’ve spoken a lot about setting a routine for your body, but what about your mind? No surprises here: we think it’s just as important to create habits and a healthy routine for your mind, to ensure it’s working at its best. Just like you schedule your workouts, lock in at least 10 minutes of meditation every single morning, first thing. You’ll feel clearer, more energised… and less agitated when you spill that cappuccino all over your perfectly planned diary on Monday morning.

Have you got a great tip for developing habits or creating a positive routine? We’d love to hear it – drop by the CORE+ Facebook page and let us know.